Connector for a plate heat exchanger

ABSTRACT

A plate heat exchanger including a stack of heat exchanger plates and at least one connection plate having at least one opening with a flange extending from the plate around the opening, and a connector connecting a heat exchange medium to the connection plate opening for supplying the medium to or discharging the medium from the heat exchanger, wherein the connector is an injection-molded plastic part and the flange has crenellate protrusions which are deformed to mechanically fasten the connector to the closure plate. A reduced wall thickness defines a seat in the connection plate around the flange, and a seal is between the flange and the connection edge. The connector may have a cross-section at its connection to a supply or discharge line which is wider than the cross-section at the connection edge, and a seal is between the connector and the line in the wider cross-section.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)

Not applicable.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not applicable.

REFERENCE TO A MICROFICHE APPENDIX

Not applicable.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to plate heat exchangers, and more particularly to connectors for connecting such heat exchangers to heat exchange medium supply or discharge lines.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION AND TECHNICAL PROBLEMS POSED BY THE PRIOR ART

Plate heat exchangers having stacked plates defining various flow channels between the plates are known in the art, including the plate heat exchanger shown and described in the European patent application EP 1 176 380 A2, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference. That plate heat exchanger discloses a connector made from metal, especially aluminum sheet, in order to be able to mount it simultaneously during production of the plate heat exchanger in a single soldering process. In the practical example shown in FIG. 4 in the that patent application, the closure plate on one end of the stacked plates was deformed by deep drawing to accommodate a connection flange in the deformed area, which is soldered thereon.

The formation of other metal connectors for such plate heat exchangers is also shown, for example, in connection with the plate exchanger known from DE 29 23 944, in which the connector was soldered to an end plate. As is also known and shown in DE 29 23 944, every other heat exchanger plate has a passage at its opening forming the inlet or outlet channel (designated therein as a tubular extension) through which the heat exchanger plates are favorably centered and can be welded to form separate horizontal channels. The connector sits with its central opening on the passages of the first and third heat exchanger plate. While such heat exchanger design is advantageous in many ways, if heat exchanger plates are of extremely limited sheet thickness (e.g., 1.0 to 2.0 mm), the securement of the connectors may not be stable enough. Moreover, the connection device represents a large part of the manufacturing costs of the known plate heat exchangers.

The present invention is directed toward overcoming one or more of the problems set forth above.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with the present invention, a plate heat exchanger is provided including a stack of heat exchanger plates and at least one connection plate having at least one opening with a flange extending from the plate around the opening, and a connector connecting a heat exchange medium to the connection plate opening for supplying the medium to or discharging the medium from the heat exchanger, wherein the connector is an injection-molded part and the flange mechanically fastens the connector to the closure plate.

In one form of the present invention, the flange is deformed around the opening and includes protrusions bent over a connecting edge of the connector for mechanical fastening thereto. In a further form, a seat is provided in the connection plate around the flange, and in a still further form the seat is a reduced wall thickness in the connection plate. In another further form, a seal is between the flange and the connection edge, wherein the bent protrusions secure the seal in a compressed condition. In still another further form, the protrusions are crenellate protrusions about the flange. In yet another further form, the connector has a cross-section at its connection to a supply or discharge line which is wider than the cross-section at the connection edge, and a seal is between the connector and the line in the wider cross-section.

In another form of the present invention, the plate heat exchanger is a housingless oil cooler.

In still another form of the present invention, the connector is plastic.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention is described below in a practical example with reference to the accompanying drawings, which in no way is to be interpreted as restrictive, where:

FIG. 1 is a cross sectional view through the connection device of the present invention as secured to a portion of a plate heat exchange;

FIG. 2 is a side view of a closure plate of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view of an opening in the closure plate of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the closure plate of FIG. 2.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

One embodiment of a connection device or connector 20 according to the present invention sits with its connection edge 22 on the edge of an adapted circular opening 26 in the connection or closure plate 30 of the present invention. Moreover, in the illustrated embodiment, the connection device 20 has an offset cylindrical shape, with the top portion 32 being widened relative to the bottom circular opening 26. It should be understood, however, that the connector 20 could alternatively be provided with a shoulder of reduced cross-section.

The connection device 20 may advantageously in accordance with the present invention be suitably produced from plastic by, for example, injection-molding. Such connection devices 20 can be produced with this method as a mass-produced product very cost-effectively and fully automatically.

The connection plate 30 is secured in the upper trough-like heat exchanger plate 34 of a housingless plate heat exchanger configured, for example, like the plate heat exchanger of DE 103 04 733 A1, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference. (Note that for clarity only a portion of the connection plate 30 and only a portion of just two heat exchanger plates 34, 36 of the heat exchanger are shown in FIG. 1.)

The connection plate 30 in the depicted practical example lies flat in the upper trough-like heat exchanger plate 34. A closure plate may also be provided on the lower end of the plate exchanger (not shown). The opening 26 in the connection plate 30 and the aligned openings in the heat exchanger plates 34, 36 form one of the vertical inlet or outlet channels 40 of the plate heat exchanger (e.g., about axis 42). (It should be appreciated that references to vertical and horizontal orientations herein are meant to facilitate description based on the orientation as illustrated in the figures, and that such orientations would differ should the overall orientation of the components be changed from that illustrated.) As is known, flow channels (for, e.g. oil and coolant) may be advantageously arranged in alternating sequence between the plates (again, only two such plates 34, 36 are shown in FIG. 1, but many more are typically included in such heat exchangers), with the flow channels between the plates being perpendicular to the inlet and outlet channels and suitably connected to the inlet channel and outlet channels hydraulically.

Four such inlet or outlet channels 40 are usually provided in plate exchangers, two of which may, for example, be a supply inlet and a discharge outlet for coolant with the other two being a supply inlet and a discharge outlet for transmission oil (e.g., as with an oil cooler for a vehicle). In the closure plate 30 illustrated in FIG. 4, for example, openings 26 a and 26 b are for inlet and outlet of oil, and openings 26 c and 26 d are for inlet and outlet of coolant, where the location of the openings 26 a-d is, of course, based on the location of the channels 40 in the stack of heat exchanger plates of the associated heat exchanger.

It should be appreciated that both the connection edge 22 and the opening 26 of the connection device 20, as well as the top portion 32 connecting with the appropriate line connection 44 (for, e.g., supplying or withdrawing oil or coolant) could, for example, have a square cross-section or any attainable cross-section. Such adaptability is particularly suitable with plastic molded products such as previously described. As illustrated in FIG. 1, a suitable seal 46 may also be provided to ensure a fluid tight connection between the connection device 20 and the line connection 44.

The edge of the opening 26 in the connection plate 30 includes a deformed flange 50 extending from the plane of the plate 20 which is configured so as to be aligned with the connection edge 22 of the connection device 20 whereby, during assembly, the connection device 20 may be placed over the connection plate flange 50. (See FIGS. 2-4.) Further, a seat 56 for the connection edge 22 of the connection device 20 may be advantageously embossed around the flange 50 to provide a reduced wall thickness relative to the remaining wall thickness of the connection plate 30 to assist in properly seating the connection device 20 thereon.

The flange 50 has crenellate protrusions 60 (see particularly FIG. 3) which are suitably bent downward over the connection edge 22 of the connection device 29 during assembly to secure the connection device 20 to the connection plate 30. A seal 64 is also advantageously and suitable situated between the connection edge 22 and flange 50. This mechanical fastening could be an unreleasable connection, since replacement of the connection device 20 is generally not required.

As shown in FIG. 4, the closure plate 30 of the depicted example has a flanges 50 associated with only two of the openings 26 c, 26 d, whereby each of those two openings may be advantageously connected to a connection device 20 according to the present invention as described further below. Further, it should be appreciated that, since the position of the openings 26 and channels 40 depends on the application, different and/or more or less such connections could be provided within the scope of the present invention.

Still further, it should be appreciated that the connection plate 30 may be suitably shaped to be roughly identical to the shape of the horizontal section through the associated plate heat exchanger. Therefore, it should be appreciated that the illustrated embodiment (see FIG. 4) would be advantageously used with a plate heat exchanger having two opposite long sides and two opposite shorter sides, with one of the shorter sides being semi-circular. The connection plate 30 may be slightly smaller because it lies flat in the uppermost trough-like heat exchanger plate 34 and the protruding edge 21 of the heat exchanger plate 34 extends slightly above the periphery of the closure plate 30 (see FIG. 1).

It should thus be appreciated that the present invention may be advantageously used with many different plate heat exchangers to facilitate inexpensively constructed and reliably operating inlet and outlet connection to the system with which the heat exchanger is used. Reliable operation may be achieved, for example, by use of suitable plastics which may reliably withstand the expected temperature ranges, such as with oil coolers for vehicles.

Still other aspects, objects, and advantages of the present invention can be obtained from a study of the specification, the drawings, and the appended claims. It should be understood, however, that the present invention could be used in alternate forms where less than all of the objects and advantages of the present invention and preferred embodiment as described above would be obtained. 

1. A plate heat exchanger comprising: a stack of heat exchanger plates and at least one connection plate having at least one opening with a flange extending from said plate around said opening; a connector connecting a heat exchange medium to said connection plate opening for supplying said medium to or discharging said medium from said heat exchanger; wherein said connector is an injection-molded part and said flange mechanically fastens the connector to the closure plate.
 2. The plate heat exchanger of claim 1, wherein the flange is deformed around said opening and includes protrusions bent over a connecting edge of said connector for mechanical fastening thereto.
 3. The plate heat exchanger of claim 2, further comprising a seat in said connection plate around said flange.
 4. The plate heat exchanger of claim 3, wherein said seat comprises a reduced wall thickness in said connection plate.
 5. The plate heat exchanger of claim 2, further comprising a seal between said flange and said connection edge, wherein said bent protrusions secure said seal in a compressed condition.
 6. The plate heat exchanger of claim 2, wherein said protrusions are crenellate protrusions about said flange.
 7. The plate heat exchanger of claim 2, wherein said connector has a cross-section at its connection to a supply or discharge line which is wider than the cross-section at said connection edge, and further comprising a seal between said connector and said line in said wider cross-section.
 8. The plate heat exchanger of claim 1, wherein said plate heat exchanger is a housingless oil cooler.
 9. The plate heat exchanger of claim 1, wherein said connector is plastic. 